Attachment for steel tapes



A. G. PETERSON ATTACHMENT FOR STEEL TAPES Filed May 2, 1944 lllllll IN V EN TOR.

Patented Mar. 19, 1946 UNITED STATE a'r'rscmuan'r FOR STEEL 'rArEs Arthur G. Peterson, Chicago, 111.

Application May 2, 1944, Serial No. 533,734

This invention relates to an attachment for steel tapes and it is one object of the invention to provide a device which may be easily applied to a tape transversely thereof and shifted alon the tape to adjusted positions and then firmly secured in a set position relative to an inch marking upon the tape.

, Another object of the invention is to so form the attachment that one end is provided with a pointer adapting the device to be accurately set relativ to a selected inch marking upon the tape.

is swiveled to the inner end of a set screw passing through the extension. By this arrangement the law may be countersunk in therecess and the device allowed to be freely slid along the Another object of the invention is to so form the end of the body bearing the pointer that a pencil point may be engaged in a seat and the tape, with the attachment thereon, used as a compass for drawing large circles or arcuate lines.

Another object of the invention is to provide an attachment which is simple in construction, cheap to manufacture, and easy to apply and adjust upon a tape.

The invention is illustrated in the accompany ing drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view showing the attachment applied to a tape.

Figure 2 is a side elevationoi the tape andthe attachment.

Figuret is a sectional view upon an enlarged, scale taken longitudinally through the attachment upon line 33 of Figure 1, and

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken along line 44 of Figure 1.

The attachment constituting the subject matter of the invention has been shown applied ,to a tape i which may be formed of steel or other suitable material and may be of any desired length and width. Inch markings are provided upon the tape and also markings representin fractions of inches. The attachment is formed from a blank of stifi sheet metal and this blank I is folded midway its width to form a body 2 havin Referring toFigures3and4,itwillbeseenthatso the laws are in such spaced relation to each other that the body may be very easily slid along the tape and will not have binding engagement with the tape. The upper law 3 has its intermediate portion pressed upwardly to form an upstanding dome-shaped extension 'I defining an internal recess 8 and at the center of this extension is formed a threaded opening 9 to receive a set screw III. This set screw has a knurled turning knob ll at its upper end and to its lower or inner end is swiveled a head or padl2 of frusto-conical formation. The tape is disposed between the lower jaw and the head l2 when the device is applied to the tape and by turning the screw in a tightening direction the tape will be firmly gripped and the device held in a set position thereof.

In order that the device may be accurately set with respect to inch markings of the tape and circles or arcuate lines drawn, one end of the body is formed with an opening l3 defining a pointer l4 and the adjacent end of the lip is shortened to form a recess I5 having a shoulder H3 at one end. By so forming the end of the body the device may be slid along the tape until the pointer M is in registry with a selected inch mark or fraction, thereof and when the set screw is tightened the attachment will be firmly held in place. The recess i5 is of a depth approximately one-half the thickness of a pencil point and by placing the pencil point in the recess and holding the tape by one end as a pivot and thenswinging the tape about the pivot, a circle or arcuate line may be drawn. When using the tape for measuring distances the attachment may be applied and secured with the pointer at the measured distance along the tape and when making notes of measurements no mistakes will be made as the pointer will indicate the measurement.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

An attachment for tape lines having markings thereon comprising a body formed from a blank of stiff sheet metal bent midway'its width to provide upper and lower jaws, portions of the jaws along the fold being in face to face engagement upwardly projecting portion, a frusto-oonical head swivelled to the inner end of said set screw one end of the upper jaw being formed with an opening defining a pointer adapted to co-act with the markings on said tape lines and the end of the body adjacent said pointer beine. stepped to form a shoulder spaced from said end of said body for v Positioning a pencil point in alignment with said pointer.

ARTHUR G. PETERSON. 

